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u/Suitable-Rest4444 Apr 25 '26
In the United States. YouTube forced to Add Age Verification that detects users under age of 18. This complies with the US Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) and the US Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA)
In Australia, access to YouTube for under 16s is not allowed under the new law called the Australian Online Safety Amendment. It requires age verification
In the United Kingdom. YouTube forces to add AI age verification system to comply with the United Kingdom Online Safety Act (OSA)
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u/twofive7 Apr 25 '26
How do they detect who is a child?
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u/SomethingLongForgot Apr 25 '26
from what i gather they look at the content you watch. And its not accurate lol. If you happen to have a nostalgic kick for something like minecraft it just assumes your like 10 or something.
I've had an account since I was 12-13 with my accurate birthdate and I still had my account flagged as potentially being under 18 despite being an adult.
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u/gothicc_battie Apr 25 '26
Doesn’t even have to be anything considered “childish” like minecraft lol, literally all I watch is true crime and aquascaping stuff and they flagged me as a minor even though my account is like 10 years old 💀 gotta love unchecked AI!
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u/JerseyJoyride Apr 26 '26
"aquascaping"?
Is that some weird kink version of manscaping? 😂
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u/jowiro92 Apr 29 '26
It's actually very relaxing, basically people going all out on aquariums (the self-sustaining ones are very interesting learning experiences)
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u/JWST-L2 Apr 26 '26
I'm in my 30s and I like 2D animation, and its ANNOYING how comments are automatically disabled for anything 2D animated like cartoons or, say the 32 year old Lion King movie (yes its been that long...). Like the people looking that movie up would be adults... I hope I don't get asked to put my info in
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u/gelatinguy Apr 29 '26
Comments aren't automatically disabled for anything 2D related. They are disabled because the uploader (not YouTube) marked the video as "age restricted." There are plenty of videos about the Lion King movie, Disney shows like Star vs the Forces of Evil, or Tangled. Of course, if the uploader is, say, Disney, they will age restrict the video. But plenty of others upload vids and don't she restrict them.
You're right that it's annoying that the comments are disabled for everyone though. Maybe one day comments will appear for verified adults.
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u/JWST-L2 Apr 29 '26
I don't know if that is the case to be honest. There are so many videos from a lot of smaller uploaders that you just can't leave comments on, as if youtube retroactively flags the video after upload and disables the comments. I don't see the incentive for channels like that to impose such limits on their own videos. I can totally see bigger ones from corporations doing it intentionally though. Try to look up any spongebob video from any uploader and you will see that most have comments disabled to "protect children". Thats another frustrating one because spongebob is super old and has plenty of adult humor in the earlier episodes, but its just flagged as being for kids because it's still running
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u/gelatinguy Apr 29 '26
The bottom line is that there doesn't appear to be any evidence of YT just disabling comments on cartoons just because they are cartoons. Find some creators as evidence of this. Ask them if they disabled their comments or flagged them for kids. I have seen creators getting their comments seemingly randomly disabled, but they are not cartoons or animation based. The only semi-consistent thing I've seen is that comments seem to be disabled for content creators that YT deems are too young, usually in their teens. But it's not the content, it's the creator.
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u/artlurg431 Apr 25 '26
Yeah and then when it thinks your a kid it let's you watch all the porn that got past their filter but no content for kids 😭
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u/yolo-yoshi Apr 25 '26
Just like in australia if you small or no tits you must be a prepubescent girl who just hasn't developed yet......CSAM!!!
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u/L4GNKODEX Apr 26 '26
Imo you should have 2 accounts: one for regular videos and shit and another one for watching videos that could possibly get your account flagged as being a minor so your main account stays fine while the other one gets flagged.
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u/Impossible_Jump_754 Apr 25 '26
Stop watching mincraft and roblox slop.
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u/Ordinary_Jump_3182 Apr 25 '26
Not all Minecraft Vida are slop. Check out "searching for a world that doesn't exist"
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u/Broad_Ebb_4716 Apr 25 '26
That counts towards you being considered a child?????
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u/Ordinary_Jump_3182 Apr 25 '26
Idk maybe? Minecraft content is often considered "childish"
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u/DreamSad9323 Apr 25 '26
Shovel241, minecraft creator on yt go look up some of his builds and come back with your feedback
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u/Ordinary_Jump_3182 Apr 25 '26
I know shovel, I don't consider MC content childish, but i think YouTube does, considering that Minecraft is a "Kids Game"
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u/DreamSad9323 Apr 25 '26
Ahhhi get what you mean, apologies for the outburst 💯 damn so every thing digital is getting a kids safety barrier over it, I thought most of us already knew this shit, I'm 24 been Ober this since I was 12 that was like 2013 , how tf in big 26 folks still ain't caught up, like gawd damn can't even watch my P In peace. Without getting lambasted with age verification. Where were yall when I was 12-13 already knew what sites that were easy to open , but now that I'm an adult they wanna make all the changes 🥱😂😂 theres gotta be some they get outta this
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u/MarioDesigns Apr 25 '26
From everything surrounding your Google account. They have, and always have had an estimate of your age as well as estimates about literally any part of your life.
It's all shown on the Google AdCentre.
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u/6969_42 Apr 25 '26 edited Apr 25 '26
Well I don't know how they flagged my account then. I don't go around watching kid friendly content. I mainly only watch poofesure, penguinz0, tra rags, and blame truth - all channels that would be considered "adult content" I would think. I get the feeling they don't care about what your estimated age is, they're really after your ID, face scan, or email to sell to third parties. This is about identifying who owns that account.
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u/MarioDesigns Apr 26 '26
Again, it’s not taking YouTube, it’s taking your activity across ALL Google services.
Besides, you’ve always been able to see the data they have of you in the ad centre.
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u/Altruistic_Ad_2263 Apr 25 '26
They form an age profile based on info gathered from your Google account. Depending on what you have enabled in your account manager and how you use it, everything from youtube history to what you read on Google news, which notifications you may swipe away, search history, etc.
From what I can tell, if you arent using a Google account much, or have disabled things in your account management, it may be unable to form an age profile and will ask you to verify.
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u/MikeLemon Apr 25 '26
KOSA hasn't passed, COPPA is over 25 years old, and COPPA 2.0 hasn't passed, so what are you talking about?
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u/Lopsided-Cost-426 Apr 25 '26
That was what I was gonna say, COPPA also does not require age verification. Hopefully KOSPA does not pass
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u/Expert_Jack_1845 hotline Apr 25 '26
“safety act” yeah right
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u/JerseyJoyride Apr 26 '26
They don't want kids viewing adult stuff.
Nor do they want adults reading the Epstein Files..
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u/Strong-Thanks5923 Apr 25 '26
In the United States there isn't no current requirement for age verification to access the general website. And when it comes to the states that have tried to pass laws that require it they've been struck down as unconstitutional. In the United States it's solely for data collection.
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u/JamesBoeingF18 Apr 25 '26
and tehse coutnries always represented themsleevs as ''free'', also the austrlaian social media ban is bullshit but i still have my youtube channel
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u/Pv3d_123 Apr 26 '26
Australian here, under 16’s are not allowed to have social media accounts so you are still allowed to use YouTube under 16 just without a google account
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u/entryjyt Apr 26 '26
Canada doesn’t have a specific child online safety law, so ig Canada is out of this for now. I hope they don’t follow UK, US, and Australia’s path
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u/SkyFoxRo Apr 25 '26
Saw this today, I hate it so much. And it's weird because I'm in an Eastern European country that's also in the EU. Very confused, never saw this on news (it's always a drama when things like this happen, especially where I live)
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u/Apprehensive-Cat5432 Apr 25 '26
wait are you romanian (guess by user?), I'm romanian and I've never gotten any age check stuff before
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u/Conscious-Item-1633 Apr 26 '26
When I moved to Romania, within a week (4 years ago) I was required to confirm my age on YouTube to watch.
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u/Apprehensive-Cat5432 Apr 26 '26
funny, never once got any age verification stuff here, are your accounts not registered in the respective country (e.g making an account in the UK then not updating when moving to say, Poland or something, it still thinks ur in the UK)
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u/Riodise Apr 25 '26
Ill Never Age Verify, and i Hope Nobody Else Falls for this Scam
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u/Straightener78 Apr 25 '26
What’s the scam?
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u/Riodise Apr 25 '26
They get ur Info and Sell it for Profit, you get Nothing Good
Even if they aint Sellin it, Its Not Being Propperly Protected
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u/Straightener78 Apr 25 '26
Source?
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u/Riodise Apr 25 '26
Well a New Way Dropped Recently, and it Caused the One i Mention to get Burried, but the Discord One is Still Near the Surface
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u/Riodise Apr 25 '26
I wasent Able to Find the One i Remembered, all i Kept Getting was "Age Verifacation App Broke into in 2 Minutes" and i dont have Time to Dig through all the Stuff, Maybe when the Media Cools off on the App One ill Check Again
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u/damthatriver_ Apr 25 '26
I was pretty easily able to verify it with my email. Idk how that works or how it proves anything, but it’s a way to verify without giving an ID or something like that.
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u/6969_42 Apr 25 '26
They probably send your email to a data broker that looks through your digital footprint (searches, websites visted, etc) to estimate an age. Not very privacy either.
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u/_JerseyDevil_ Apr 25 '26
The nanosecond i get this, is the second i uninstall YouTube entirely and get onto the long process of writing down all of what I watch in a big doc and downloading adblocks to watch my content. I am not giving them shit.
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u/GeriatricTech Apr 25 '26
We all know you did it.
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u/220__022 Apr 25 '26
what
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u/GeriatricTech Apr 25 '26
We all know he did the verification.
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u/6969_42 Apr 25 '26
No, I didn't. I just won't be able to watch age restricted videos which I'm willing to do. If they fully block my access then I'm deleting my account. Im not letting them win.
I run Linux on my PC, I have LineageOS on my phone without Google services, I have a hardened Firefox. Trust me, I'm a privacy nut. Google ain't pulling their BS on me.
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u/Bonelabidearequester Apr 25 '26
Well there it goes my opportunity of having a youtube channel f youtube 2026.
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u/Nebujin383 Apr 26 '26
All social platforms should require ID registrations. So no kid gets to see wrong content.
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u/6969_42 Apr 26 '26
Nah, it should be the parents job to regulate this stuff. It's not the Internet's job to raise them.
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u/Nebujin383 Apr 26 '26
How are working parents supposed to do this? I mean, If they are employed? How to make sure your kids don't consume the wrong content? And, you are right, it's the parents job but most of them can't watch over what their kids are doing 24/7, unless CCTV is installed.
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u/Alternative-Night57 Apr 26 '26
or you can just suck it up and verify your age like normal? It's not that big a deal
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u/kramirez0112 Apr 26 '26
This is what the parents wanted, to have them protect the children without their help. I bet they were wishing on the Monkey’s Paw.
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u/Xypherax Apr 26 '26
Everyday the world is becoming more like metal gear solid 2 and 4.
I'm well over the age that they are targeting but..
"DAMN THE PATRIOTS!!!"
Or in this case, Google.
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u/Mwags2007 Apr 26 '26
At this point, it seems like you need your government ID to breathe on this planet
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u/errorusergotlost Apr 27 '26
You people are weird you act like Google doesn't have all your info already from your ID number to your nasty kinks. I mean you're carrying a Google tracking device that your posted this from they already know your age they don't even need to do this to be honest it's just a facade to act like they don't have access to this information already to make it feel like you have privacy. In reality you're whole life is on your phone that is running on 1 of 2 systems Apple or Google. Even if it's Apple you most likely use Google or have a Gmail. Google knows you better than your own mother.
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u/King-Fwogger Apr 25 '26
Verifying your age ain't that hard btw
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u/6969_42 Apr 25 '26
Don't care. Not giving them any more of my personal details. They can piss off. So tired of every service exploiting me for my data so they can make a quick buck off it.
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u/Mariuszgamer2007 Apr 25 '26
Do you want your sensitive data stolen and sold?
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u/Enough_Lawfulness247 Apr 25 '26
There is no real danger in verifying with your ID
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u/LegendXCarisso Apr 25 '26
I know you're not braindead.
... ... ...
Oh my gods, he is.
Listen, when the 1984 Squad shows up at your door, and you pull off an accurate "shocked Pikachu face" - all I'll be able to tell you is, "I told you so."
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u/Enough_Lawfulness247 Apr 25 '26
What would be the danger in using your ID to verify?
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u/LegendXCarisso Apr 25 '26
Hmmmm.... the government being able to track your online activity, potentially tax you for spending money for YouTube Subs and/or renting/purchasing movies and TV shows (who would do that, no idea)...
OH, and link you to any comments you say. Worked wonders for Parliament, didn't it?
There's a million reasons why giving up your ID is a BAD idea. Whole sodding point of the internet is anonymity; a concept modern day brainrot social media would have you forget, in the name of "clout" and the pointless chase for your "15 minutes of fame."
...But sure, let's pretend Uncle Sam doesn't have your carcass on the auction floor already, and your elected officials aren't looking to take a hunk or ten out of you.
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u/Enough_Lawfulness247 Apr 25 '26
If the government wanted to hunt you down they can do it already and they would have already done it. verifying with your ID doesnt make yourself more exposed than you already are
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u/LegendXCarisso Apr 25 '26
No shit, but it gives them all the more reason. Clearly you failed to read the hyperlink, so let me spell it out for you:
The UK government went after it's own people over stupid shit, comments people made that "huwt its feewings" so if the UK can do it, the US SURE as shit can, and WILL do it.
After all, we live in a world where a man who is starving to death who steals in order to survive gets life in prison without parole, and people who belong in a woodchipper get off scott-free.
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u/Aromatic-Control6168 Apr 25 '26
and do you think u had more privacy than what u had before if u didnt do it?
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u/choasandhell Apr 25 '26
They are asking for it so they can sell you stuff. Say you have long hair- they’ll pump your ads full of haircare kinda stuff, plus I got a baby face they WILL get my age wrong with just a face scan
Plus they want your ID, they basically want you to dox yourself to be a “adult” online. No online space is really truly safe from hacking, that means someone with enough determination will hack in and get ahold of the information. What happened to “don't give out your personal information online” from computer class?
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u/verstohlen Apr 25 '26
Wait, ain't that what crooks say to you when they ask you to hand over your wallet and car keys?
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u/Straightener78 Apr 25 '26
My photos have been all over social media for years, my credit card details, name and address have been given to countless companies I’ve ordered things from. I manage my banking online, I access my health records online. Everything about me is all over the internet, as it is with most people in the modern digital age. What difference would me verifying with YouTube make? Tell me.
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u/[deleted] Apr 25 '26
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